


Into the Fire

by burning_up_a_star



Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Genre: F/M, Fix-It, jyn and cassian survive, not everyone lives but some of them do, rebelpilot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-28
Updated: 2017-03-09
Packaged: 2018-09-20 09:38:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9485363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/burning_up_a_star/pseuds/burning_up_a_star
Summary: Jyn and Cassian survived Scarif but now face Imperial torture and imprisonment as the Empire tries to discover the flaw in the Death Star before it's too late.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger Warning: Suicide Attempt in Chapter 2.

The heat was beginning to sear Jyn’s skin and the ground buckled beneath them as she held on to Cassian Andor with all of her strength. His back was soft beneath her hands and his forehead buried in her neck gave her comfort. The pain faded to the background. Then, suddenly, she was ripped away from his warmth and weight, staggering on to a ship trying to regain her balance. Hands clamped around her arms like vices, pulling them behind her back as she watched a black clad Stormtrooper drop Cassian onto the floor of the ship. The ship pulled up from the disintegrating ground and jolted forward into hyperspace. Then a Stormtrooper’s blaster slammed into her head and she collapsed on top of Cassian. 

Jyn’s head swam as she struggled to open her eyes. Her arms were tied around some sort of column behind her back, pulled so tight her joints ached. The back of her head throbbed as she tried to figure out what was going on. There were a few Stormtroopers stationed around what seemed to be some sort of small hangar bay; Jyn recognized the tinge of fuel lingering in the air. More 'troopers, these in black, and an empire officer clustered around another column, voices raised. They were talking about a message…

“Grand Moff Tarkin. The prisoner is awake,” a Stormtrooper’s metallic voice reported. Jyn recoiled when a man with sunken cheeks and sallow skin turned toward her. He raised an eyebrow at her.

“Finally. Now we might actually get somewhere,” the man said, making a lazy hand gesture. The Stormtroopers resumed their posts along the wall. Tarkin crouched down to be level with Jyn’s eyes. His flesh was like ice when he grabbed her chin and turned her to face him, examining her as one might a disobedient pet.

“Jyn Erso. You’ve certainly made a name for yourself since I last saw you. And I thought your father was going to be the problem,” he mused, his face remaining remarkably expressionless. If Jyn had ever met this man as a child, she didn’t remember him. 

“We know the Rebellion received the plans to the Death Star ship that you sent from Scarif. We know that a pilot defected from the Empire to deliver a message sent by your father detailing a weakness in the Death Star. All we need you to tell us is what that weakness is.”

“I didn’t see the message,” Jyn said immediately. If this man thought she was going to give that up after everything she had lost…

“Then how did you know to steal the plans?”

“Saw Gerrera told us. He intercepted the pilot before the rebellion could.” At least Saw couldn’t contradict her. How else could she convince this man to listen to her? What names would hold enough weight? Pain slammed into her cheek and her head knocked against the column. The man had backhanded her. It was harsh but methodical. A promise of worse should she keep lying. But Jyn could take pain. She had been ready to die for this.

Tarkin stood up, folding his hands behind his back as he moved to the side, revealing who was restrained across from her. Cassian was slumped against the column, gazing at the floor with a distant expression. Blood leaked down from his temple and out of the corner of his mouth. An ugly bruise had already formed on his cheekbone and there were irritated red patches along his neck. They had been at him for a while. Jyn didn’t want to see what the rest of his body looked like.

“I realize that you and Captain Andor are acquainted,” the Grand Moff commented. Jyn fought the urge to laugh.

“We completed the Scarif mission together,” she said instead.

Tarkin simply nodded before crouching next to Cassian and signaling for one of the black clad Stormtroopers to join him. Jyn tried not to flinch when the man jerked up Cassian’s head by his hair, his eyes never leaving her. Testing her for weakness. Cassian’s eyes struggled to focus on her, his eyebrows coming together in confusion. Jyn ached as she saw his lips form her name before Tarkin let him go. His head thumped back down to his chest.

“Tell us the flaw in the Death Star,” the man ordered Cassian. The captain said nothing. At Tarkin’s signal the Stormtrooper used a baton to hit Cassian across the head. Jyn clenched her jaw, watching him react to the pain, then collect himself. It would take a lot to break him. Grand Moff Tarkin demanded information again, signaled another hit, this one across the back of the neck. Again, Cassian took in the pain and readied himself for the next blow. Jyn tried to focus on a spot on the column just above Cassian’s head, but she couldn’t look away. 

The Stormtrooper hit the captain hard in the abdomen, causing him to yelp in pain; his ribs had been broken when he had fallen back on Scarif. Her teeth ached from being clenched so hard. It was all she could do to keep from screaming. Cassian met her eyes, the intense pain having brought him out of his daze, and gave an almost unnoticeable shake of his head. Don’t say a word. 

Tarkin looked at her with such intensity fear began to build up inside her. Cassian wasn’t going to break, so they would start on the weaker prisoner. Dread settled in the pit of her stomach. The Stormtrooper set down the baton and picked up what seemed to be a small blaster. Jyn looked defiantly at the gaunt old man, trying to conceal her fear. She would break quicker than Cassian, but she’d give it her all. 

But the Stormtrooper turned back to the captain, touching the small blaster to his chest and pulling the trigger. Cassian screamed as electricity shocked into his body. Jyn tugged at her bonds frantically. Why, why were they doing this? He wouldn’t break before they killed him at this rate. His breathing was heavy and labored, eyes wide in pain and shock. The next charge came too soon, his screams tearing through her. Tarkin wasn’t even bothering to ask questions anymore, just looking intently at both of his prisoners. 

The third shock started the convulsions, Cassian’s head slamming against the column as he lost control of his body. 

“Stop!” Jyn yelled, immediately biting her lip. 

Tarkin held up a hand and the Stormtrooper stepped away from the captain’s shaking form. “Yes, Miss Erso?”

“Hurt me instead,” she said, glaring at him. Anything would be easier than watching Cassian scream.

“Don’t worry. You will get your turn.”

Jyn clenched her eyes shut as Cassian’s ragged scream filled the hangar. When it died out she could hear him retching. She remembered an empire officer that Saw had tortured for information years ago. The pain had eventually caused the man to be sick. Saw had beat the man for days before he finally broke and told the rebels everything he knew. And then he promptly shot the man in the head. 

“I saw the message,” Jyn said softly, opening her eyes. 

Cassian’s head snapped up, eyes narrow. His disappointment hurt her, but she could bear it. Just like she could bear the pain that was coming. His eyes flicked to Tarkin as the man smiled and he let out a long sigh, his shoulders slumping. 

“Say that again, Miss Erso,” the man requested. 

“I saw the message. I know what the flaw is. It’s me you want,” Jyn said, trying to kill him with nothing more than a gaze. She would hold on to what little dignity she had left for as long as she could. 

Tarkin smiled. Jyn felt a coldness edge into her bones. The man stayed standing next to Cassian, his hand floating in the air to keep the Stormtrooper from continuing the torture. Cassian’s eyes focused on her, oddly calm and focused. Stay strong, he seemed to say, this is not your fault. We can still save them. 

“Thank you,” the man said coolly, and then let his hand fall. Cassian yelled out as he was stuck against the face with the butt of a blaster. He gritted his teeth, his face a grayish color. 

“No! I know what you want. Not him!” Jyn shouted.

“You’re far more likely to give me what I wish if you believe he will suffer if you do not. Tell me what you know and I will stop hurting him,” Tarkin explained. Jyn almost choked. Cassian had known. Tarkin nodded.

“Sadly, I will be unable to oversee your examination myself. Director Sailic should be arriving soon. I will leave you to your cells until then.”

At the wave of the Grand Moff’s hand, the Stormtroopers unshackled both of them. Jyn bit her lip as Cassian slumped to the floor. He moaned as one of the Stormtroopers hauled him to his feet. He swayed briefly before his eyes rolled back into his head and the Stormtrooper had to catch him before he fell to the ground. Jyn’s arm was nearly pulled out of her socket from another one hauling her to her feet. She struggled against him, watching Cassian being dragged in the opposite direction. 

Jyn jerked and kicked against her captor. They turned a corner and she was no longer able to see Cassian. The Stormtrooper threw her into a cell smaller than the one she had in prison. There was a thin blanket in the corner and a pot in the other. It smelled like sweat and blood. She slammed her fists against the iron door, screaming her defiance.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tw: Suicide Attempt

At least a day or two had passed. Dry cakes with the barest necessities to live were shoved through a slot in the door at random times. She was granted a stale cup of water to complete her meager meal. As her mind slowly began to wind itself into knots, Jyn held on to the comfort that the emptiness was better than Cassian’s screams. She hoped the captain had been given medical attention. It wouldn’t help the empire if he died before they could use him against her again. 

Jyn had taken to bouncing her metal cup off the corners of her cell. She hoped the sound annoyed whatever Stormtrooper had been stationed outside her door. She could hear him shifting his weight every now and then. As Jyn caught the cup for the thousandth time, running her fingers over the dents and scrapes, relishing the feeling of having done at least a little damage against the Empire. 

As the hours passed, she let herself fantasize about the destruction of the Death Star. The explosion would light up the darkness of space in a brilliant fireball. It would never threaten lives again. The haggard Alliance senate would smile and cheer, her father’s spirit would be at ease. She let herself think about the other members of their little group, seeing them smiling and alive. Jyn could see Baze and Chirrut standing next to each other, Chirrut with his cheerful, knowing smile and Baze gazing at him like he was the stars themselves. Bohdi tinkering with something on the ship, his eyes lighting up at the opportunity to do what he loved without guilt. K2 smacking Cassian across the face to sell his role as an imperial droid, his hesitation taking the blaster from her on Scarif. 

And Cassian. The way he had smiled at her after showing her the small army he had gathered. The look on his face when he welcomed her home. His eyes on the elevator on Scarif. Such little, tender moments that she hadn’t experienced since the day the Empire had come for her father. And now her friends were dead and Cassian was suffering. Taking away her family was something the Empire did well. 

Jyn glared up at the Stormtrooper who opened her cell door. 

“Get up.” His voice was rough through his mask. Jyn rose and gave him a particularly condescending smile. She sincerely hoped he had been stationed outside her door for the last hour and had the pleasure of listening to her tin cup music. Maybe she was going insane.

As she was escorted down the hall, she favored her hurt leg more than necessary, dragged her feet, and slumped against the wall twice. But eventually they made it back to the main hangar. Cassian was tied between two columns this time, watching them as they came in.

His face was mottled blue and black and dried blood matted his hair, but his eyes were clear. Jyn could see the burn marks on his shirt from the blaster. What she wished she hadn’t noticed was the crisp, white bandages around his neck. That was no Empire inflicted wound: Cassian had tried to take his own life. Bile rose in her throat and she looked pointedly at the ground. She had gotten him into this, with her hope of redeeming her father and herself. 

“Jyn,” he said softly, his voice raspier than normal. When she looked up she saw so much compassion she wanted to cry. She didn’t deserve his compassion.

Whatever may have been said was cut off by loud footsteps echoing through the hangar. A middle aged man in a crisp white suit like the one Krennic wore walked into Jyn’s line of site. He towered over them, but Jyn could see his soft, uncalloused hands and the beginning of a paunch. Cassian smirked at her from across the room, silently asking her how long she thought the man would last in a fight.

“Grand Moff Tarkin has informed me of the situation. I do hope you will reconsider your position, Miss Erso,” Director Sailic said in a slightly nasally voice. 

Jyn spat at his feet.

The Stormtrooper backhanded Cassian faster than Jyn could blink, but when he met her eyes again, he was smiling. Just a bit. 

“We just need to know the flaw in the Death Star. I am not asking you to give up the position of any bases, the names of any spies, nothing. It’s simple,” Sailic said, smiling at the both of them.

Neither Jyn nor Cassian spoke. 

“Very well. Just remember I gave you the option to avoid all of this unpleasantness,” the director said, walking over to a small table Jyn hadn’t noticed before. Sailic deftly unrolled a large bundle, revealing glittering instruments. After spending a moment considering, he handed the nearest Stormtrooper a whip and gestured for him to begin.

Even as the first lash hit him, Jyn’s eyes never left Cassian’s. They looked at each other for as long as he had the strength. We will get through this.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tw: Suicide Attempt Mention

Jyn didn’t even have the power to fight as the Stormtrooper lead her back to her cell. Her entire body ached. It had been days since Sailic had arrived. She allowed herself to be shoved down on to the floor. Instead of the grey cell door she saw blood staining Cassian’s shirt, his screams still ringing in her ears and the scent of his blood filled her nose. Sailic had ended earlier today than he planned because Cassian had passed out and they hadn’t been able to wake him up. Maybe he would die sometime in the night. Then he would be free. 

She found herself begging the force for something, anything to let up. Let Cassian die if that’s what it took. Let the rebels come and blow them all to hell. Let Darth Vader himself come and stab her through the heart. Jyn had hoped for rescue for the first few days. Now that seemed like a fool’s hope. She gave a hollow laugh. Just a few days and she was already cracking, breaking. How people survived this for weeks and months she would never know. If only they had died with the rest of Rogue One on Scarif. The beach had been a fitting end. One they had chosen together. Filled with pain, yes, but also with triumph. Now they would die broken traitors. 

Shouts filtered down the hallway, loud and angry. Jyn uncurled herself and pressed her ear to the door. Sailic was shouting orders too shrill for her to understand and the Stormtroopers were thundering around. Jyn smiled to herself, almost in disbelief. Something just went very, very wrong for the Empire. And she had a hope at what it might have been. The clatter of footsteps drew closer. Jyn stepped back from the door.

Sailic banged the door open so hard Jyn was glad she moved. His hair was in disarray and his face was beet red, eyes bulging.

“You bitch,” he snarled. Jyn smiled broader. The Rebellion had succeeded. The Death Star was no more. Her father’s legacy was safe. She and Cassian could die now. 

The director’s punch sent her slamming into the wall, his fleshy hands digging into her shirt to throw her against the door frame. Jyn barely had time to register the exploding pain in her head before Sailic let her slip to the floor and kicked her viciously in the ribs. She gasped as she felt one of them crack. He wasted no time, slamming his baton across her back and then his fist into her face. As Jyn panted for breath, Sailic grabbed her collar, jerking her face even with his.

“Do you want to know what I did to your precious Captain?” When she didn’t answer, he backhanded her. Hard.“I left him bleeding out in his little cell. He screamed your name while I cut him up. I expect you’ll see him again soon.”

The hits came from every direction now, but Jyn barely felt them. She could feel her world getting darker, but all she thought about was seeing her family again. Her father and mother. Saw. Baze and Chirrut. Bohdi. K-2. Cassian. There would be no pain, no war where she was going. 

Then the blows stopped and something heavy fell on top of her, bringing her back into a world of agony. She didn’t recognize the man who pulled Sailic’s body off of her, but she did recognize the orange flight suit. The Rebellion. 

“Miss Erso,” the young man said, “Miss Erso, we’re here to bring you home.”

Home. But home wasn’t home without him. Not anymore.

“Cassian,” Jyn mumbled, “Find Cassian… across the hangar.”

The young pilot didn’t respond, but gingerly picked her up. Her world swam. 

“Captain… Andor… find him,” Jyn tried again.

“My job is to get you out Miss Erso. Someone else has the captain. They’ll find him. Don’t worry. You’re both safe. We’re going to get you out.”

At that, Jyn let herself pass out.


	4. Chapter 4

When Jyn woke again, she was in a soft bed, tucked in tightly with a clean blanket. Her body was sore all over, creaking as she pushed herself into a sitting position. But she wasn’t in pain. She took long, deep breaths. No broken ribs. Her head didn’t even ache. They must have put her in a bacta tank. Smiling, Jyn let herself drop back to the pillow, enjoying the luxury of feeling good and safe. She hadn’t laid on a pillow in years, much less a clean one. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been in a place where she didn’t have to keep her head down, praying that no one somehow recognized the daughter of Galen Erso. 

Then she remembered. Cassian. Had they gotten Cassian out? Ignoring the indignant beeping of the medical droid, Jyn threw off the blanket and tried to stand. Her legs were too weak, and she had to lean against the bed to even remain upright. She cursed beneath her breath as the med-droid walked over to her bed.

“Miss Erso. You are in no position to be walking about the medical wing. Please lay back down in bed,” it said sourly.

“I should have come in with a Captain Cassian Andor. You can either help me get to him or I will do it on my own. I don’t care which,” Jyn hissed, trying to retain a little of her dignity as she leaned against a bed in a too thin robe. 

“Jyn,” a ringing female voice called through the room. 

Jyn turned to see Mon Mothma walking towards her, her white robes flowing. When she reached Jyn, Mothma looked at her with a gentle smile.

“Please have a seat,” the senator asked. 

“Is Captain Andor alive?”

“Captain Andor is recovering in a bacta tank. His injuries were more severe than yours. You will be the first to know when he is out.”

Jyn took in the placating look on the older woman’s face and pushed herself back on top of the bed, trying to tamp down her guilt. Of course his injuries had been worse than hers. Mothma took the small seat next to her.

“The Alliance owes you a great debt Jyn Erso,” the senator said, “The plans Rogue One sent off of Scarif enabled a team of fighter pilots to destroy the Death Star. It is gone, Jyn.”

Jyn let out a stuttering breath. Somehow the news felt different coming from a friendly source. They had done it. Her friends—her father—hadn’t died for nothing.

“We received the intel that you and the captain had been captured off of Scarif a day after the battle. We knew the destruction of the Death Star would be the perfect distraction to rescue the both of you.”

Jyn nodded, unable to speak. They had come after her. Not just Cassian, but her too. 

“I’m sorry to ask this so soon… but time is a factor. I need you to tell me what happened to you and Captain Andor,” Mothma requested, her voice quiet. Jyn understood. She needed to know what they had told the Empire. 

“We didn’t give them anything. They wanted to know what the flaw in the Death Star was. That’s all they asked for.”

“Were you and the captain together the entire time?”

“No,” Jyn said quietly, hating the implication, “We were separated when they weren’t… questioning us. But I don’t think Cassian told them anything. He was too strong for that.”

Mon Mothma nodded. 

“How is he?”

“We came close to losing him. His body was on the brink of giving out. But you’re right, he’s too strong for that.”

“Do you know when I’ll be able to see him?”

“It shouldn’t be more than a day. Why don’t you get some rest until then? Ask 3-2A if you need something to help you sleep,” the senator said as she rose from the chair. 

Before she turned to leave, Mothma placed a hand on Jyn’s arm. When Jyn looked up, she saw the woman’s face full of soft pity. She gave Jyn a final nod before walking out of the room. Jyn felt sick inside. She asked the med-droid to give her something to sleep. 

 

Jyn jerked awake drenched in sweat, her breath coming in short, shallow bursts. Her dreams had been full of blood and his screams. He had died, died in agony as she watched, helpless. So much blood. She had to see him, to touch him and make sure he was real and alive. And when she looked up, Cassian was there. Laying in the bed across from hers. Almost like she summoned him. 

Her legs wobbled as she slowly crossed over to him and her breath was coming quicker by the time she made it to the chair next to his bed. But she made it, scooting the chair as close as she could. Her hand was shaking slightly as she reached out to touch his. When Cassian didn’t wake, Jyn felt like she could breathe again. She had needed to touch him to prove to herself he was ok. But she wasn’t ready to speak to him yet. For whatever that would hold.

Cassian looked as peaceful as Jyn had ever seen him, but his brow was a little furrowed. She had never seen him sleep before. She wondered if he always slept like that. Softer, but still weighted. Always thinking. But the drugs the med-droid were already tugging at the back of her mind, making her eyelids feel heavy. So she laid her head down on the edge of the bed, looking at Cassian as she fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys! Life kinda swooped in and mucked things up! I hope this will keep you satisfied for a little while!

The first thing Jyn became aware of was someone touching her hand and softly calling her name. Her mind tried to swim through the haziness left by the drugs to wake up. Warm fingers curled around her own and she instinctively held on to them. Jyn sat up, inwardly groaning at the stiffness in her back and neck.

“There she is,” Cassian said with a small smile. She looked at him a bit warily, taking in his smile. Would he blame her for what happened? How could he forgive for her for letting him suffer and not doing anything about it? Suddenly her mind was full of those terrible days, his screams echoing, the rancid smell of blood and sweat and fuel slamming into her senses. 

At first she could barely feel his hands on either side of her face, barely hear him as he told her to take deep breaths, to listen to the sound of his voice. Then, slowly, she became aware again, realizing she wasn’t in that Empire prison anymore. That Cassian was here, in front of her, whole and not in pain. His thumb skimmed her cheek as he looked at her with concern. 

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. Jyn froze, staring at him. He dropped his hands from her face, but he didn’t drop his gaze. 

“I’m sorry you had to go through that. No one should have to go through that.”

“You’re… sorry? I let them… I let them…” Jyn floundered helplessly, unable to say that she had let them hurt him. Cassian’s eyes widened slightly.

“You kept us alive. You kept the Rebellion alive,” he said, his hand brushing against hers. She took a shuddering breath.

“They destroyed it,” Jyn said. 

He nodded.

“I assumed as much when Sailic came in the last time.”

His face remained a little somber, and his eyes became a little distant. Jyn wondered if he was remembering what Sailic did to him or if he was thinking back to Scarif like she was. Back to their friends who had died to get the plans out. So she gave his hand a little squeeze and his eyes flicked up to her, his expression softening a little. 

She took advantage of the quiet moment to really look at him. Their ordeal had left its mark. A new scar snaked its way across his jawbone and onto his cheek and he had lost weight during their few days of captivity, making the bones of his face stand out in sharp lines. Other new scars peaked out from the edges of his shirt. Jyn felt like she could remember every one. Every one but that jagged one across his throat. She still felt sick thinking about it. Thinking about what he had tried to do. Even if he had been trying to save them all.

“I’m sorry about K-2,” Jyn said awkwardly. Cassian nodded. 

“How did you find him?” she asked.

Cassian looked at her a bit warily, but he righted himself on the bed and began to speak. She decided to ignore his wince.

“We had been trying to get a fully functioning imperial security droid for months. The strategic component in their programming make them valuable intelligence acquisitions.”

Jyn almost rolled her eyes at the jargon.

“I found K-2SO in some backwater imperial planet. That was the only reason he was by himself and easy to take. I must have spent hours reprogramming him and not without some… personality quirks. He was brutally blunt. But he didn’t care what I… he didn’t care what the mission was,” Cassian finished off awkwardly.

Jyn thought back to what he had said on the ship after Eadu. She wondered what ghosts he carried, but didn’t ask. Jyn didn’t feel like she could, after what she had said to him. Stormtrooper. She knew better now.

“So what was it like growing up with Saw Gerrera?” Cassian asked, with a friendly smile she hadn’t seen on him.

No one had asked her that before. No one had really asked her about how it felt to be the daughter of Galen Erso or the protégé of Saw Gerrera. They had just seen the connections as assets. Nothing more. 

So Jyn told Cassian everything. The good, the bad, the hilarious. How it had felt those first few weeks when Saw found her after the Empire had come for her parents. Saw’s ridiculously underwhelming reaction to losing another limb. The friends she had made. The days waiting for Saw to come back when he left her behind. She talked until Cassian fell back asleep, smiling every so slightly as he dreamed.


End file.
